Reno's youngest brewery owner debuts $1 million expansion

It's a good bet you'd want to have a beer with Ryan Gaumer, especially if you were a craft beer civilian.

For one, he's the owner of Lead Dog Brewing Co. of Reno — and now of Sparks — so, you know, he has the inside pour. There's his air of friendly authority, an effect partly created by a boyish face (he's just 25) combined with hair going prematurely gray.

Ryan Gaumer, 25, owns the original Lead Dog Brewing Co. in Reno and the new Lead Dog taproom and ...more

Ryan Gaumer, 25, owns the original Lead Dog Brewing Co. in Reno and the new Lead Dog taproom and production facility in Sparks.

Johnathan L. Wright/RGJ

And unlike many young men of his generation who are taken by beer or spirits, he doesn't employ that off-putting pedantry and patois when discussing the object of his affection.

Which isn't to say he's not passionate about his beer — you don't spend nearly $1 million expanding Lead Dog without getting aroused by malts and hops.

The new taproom and production facility on Glendale Avenue in Sparks encompass 18,000 square feet, more than four times the size of the original Lead Dog on East Fourth Street in Reno.

More space means more production capacity. Fully kitted out, the Sparks brewery, Gaumer said, could produce 15,000 to 16,000 barrels annually, more than three times Reno at full output.

That increased capacity became essential as Lead Dog began the process of placing its beer with national accounts like Costco, Safeway and Kroger.

"We couldn't do that until we had a facility like this one," Gaumer said. "You can't go into those stores unless you can supply them. We knew there was a risk expanding, but we're comfortable in our brand.

Production in Sparks, boutique in Reno

Construction began in January on the new brewery. The 60-seat taproom, initially supplied by East Fourth Street, debuted in early June. The first brew in Sparks occurred in mid-June, with production set to run, for now, at about 1,000 barrels a month.

Although that's not full capacity, it's significantly more beer than the Fourth Street brewery could produce, even when pushed to the limit.

Gleaming fermenters at the new Lead Dog Brewing taproom and production facility in Sparks.

Gleaming fermenters at the new Lead Dog Brewing taproom and production facility in Sparks.

Provided to RGJ Media

"Four hundred barrels a month — that's all we could do in Reno," Gaumer said. "We could not squeeze another drop out of that building."

As the majority of production shifts to the Sparks facility, the Reno Lead Dog will remain open, but as a boutique brewery-slash-laboratory.

A quick brewery tour, with cornholing

It's quiet one recent morning at the new brewery. A lone customer sips an early beer in the taproom at a long bar topped with acid-washed copper; in an hour, the bar will fill with folks having a lunchtime brew, choosing from 30 handles.

Ranks of gleaming fermenters cradle the beer, 45 to 120 barrels at a time. Cans stacked 16 layers high squat in the canning area; up to 3,000 an hour can be filled.

The bottling line at the new Lead Dog Brewing Co. taproom and brewery in Sparks.

The bottling line at the new Lead Dog Brewing Co. taproom and brewery in Sparks.

Johnathan L. Wright/RGJ

A forklift stands ready to heft 50-pound bags of brewing malt; red hoses snake across the brewery floor. An 1,100-square-foot cooler holds about two weeks' worth of inventory.

At the west end of the building, the events area sports a mural, seating, air hockey, darts and cornholing board. "We have a legit cornholing league starting in the fall," Gaumer said.

Goals for the future

Gaumer is a Reno native. He graduated from Galena High School and then Pepperdine University, returning to his hometown in 2016 and opening the first Lead Dog in 2017.

Gaumer had been a home brewer and an intern at Great Basing Brewing Co. His family, he said, was "in the chemical manufacturing business, so I've been around a manufacturing environment my whole life."

The taproom at the new Lead Dog Brewing Co. in Sparks has 60 seats, 30 handles and a bar topped ...more

The taproom at the new Lead Dog Brewing Co. in Sparks has 60 seats, 30 handles and a bar topped with acid-washed copper.

Provided to RGJ Media

And yet, there is a bit of the accidental brewer about Gaumer, and he acknowledged that owning two breweries and servicing about 1,200 accounts wasn't the goal from the outset.

"That was not my vision," he said. "I thought long and hard about expanding. We could have stayed on Fourth Street and just (brewed for) bottle shops and bars."

The new Lead Dog Brewing Co. taproom and brewery in Sparks encompasses 18,000 square feet.

The new Lead Dog Brewing Co. taproom and brewery in Sparks encompasses 18,000 square feet.

Johnathan L. Wright/RGJ

Today, Gaumer doesn't want Lead Dog to get any larger. Going forward, "we want to focus on markets, staying relevant and creating relationships with customers. As competition grows, it's more important to differentiate yourself."

To that point: It's not everywhere you can cornhole then hoist a locally brewed brown ale.